The Press Box. BRIEFS.

Olympics: Sydney's $450 million main Olympic stadium was...

June 13, 1999|By Rich Strom.

Olympics: Sydney's $450 million main Olympic stadium was officially opened Saturday. Italy's Christian Vieri joined a FIFA All-Star team against Australia's national side for an exhibition game after a two-hour opening ceremony. Australia won 3-2 in front of 88,101 fans, a record for a soccer match in the country.

- Former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, who wrote a critical report of the Salt Lake bribery scandal, said athletes should take the lead in pressing for reforms in the Olympics. Mitchell said he was impressed by the path of changes the International Olympic Committee was pursuing in the wake of its worst corruption case and that "there is a reasonable chance that something good will happen."

Cycling: Der Spiegel, a German news magazine, has accused the cycling team of 1997 Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich of using blood doping and other performance-enhancing drugs.